Free tool
Wedding budget calculator
Working out how much does a wedding cost in the UK usually starts with a single number - the total you are willing to spend - and then the harder question of how to split it sensibly across a dozen suppliers. Most UK couples find that a handful of categories dominate the budget: the venue, the food and drink, and photography together often account for over half of everything spent, with the rest spread thinly across attire, flowers, entertainment, stationery and the smaller details that add up faster than expected.
This calculator uses a standard UK percentage split, built from typical spending patterns across venue hire, catering, photography and video, attire, flowers and décor, entertainment, cake, rings, stationery, hair and makeup, transport, favours and a contingency buffer. Enter your total budget and your guest count below and it will recalculate every line instantly, along with an estimated cost per guest.
Nobody's wedding matches a spreadsheet exactly, so treat the numbers below as a sensible first draft rather than a plan set in stone. Once you have real venue and vendor quotes, you can adjust each category up or down and see how the rest of the budget absorbs the change.
What you hope to spend in total. Drag the bars below to allocate it.
Everyone invited to the day.
Allocate your budget
Allocated total
£20,000
Left to allocate
£0
Cost per guest
£250
Figures are illustrative starting points based on typical UK spending patterns, not quotes. Drag any bar to match your own priorities - the total adds itself up as you go.
FAQ
Common questions
How much should I spend on the venue?
A common UK starting point is around 15% of the total budget on venue hire alone, separate from catering. If your venue and catering are bundled into one package, it is worth asking your venue to break the quote down so you can compare it against this split.
What's the average UK wedding cost?
UK wedding surveys typically put the average day somewhere in the £18,000-£24,000 range, though it varies hugely by region and guest count. Treat any average as a rough compass rather than a target - the breakdown above, built from your own numbers, is a more useful starting point.
How much per guest should I budget?
Catering and venue costs are the two biggest guest-driven lines, so the more people you invite, the faster the total climbs. Many UK couples find their all-in cost per guest lands somewhere between £100 and £200; use the calculator above to see what your own numbers work out to.
Why does the breakdown include a contingency line?
Almost every wedding has at least one cost nobody planned for - an extra hire fee, a late guest, a top-up on flowers. Setting aside roughly 10% up front as contingency means a surprise doesn't mean pulling money from a category you have already spent.
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